Most people will not care about where I purchased the kit. So just know I found it in a pawn shop. I thought it would be a neat kit build to do, I bought it without doing any research on the rifle or even making sure the kit was complete. They had a complete rifle for $650. In hindsight that is a pretty darn good deal.
After the purchase, it was clear this box of parts had all of the major components, including a bayonet, two canvas slings, two cleaning kits, two different buttstocks ( one a folding and a bakelite (resin and wood) stock.) Who knows if all the small components were there. There was no parts list to speak of so I will be discovering what else I’ll need as I go through the build.
The toughest part of this build so far has been locating a new receiver. Not just one that fits within a budget, but locating one in general. I was a few years too late to start this build. It seems that these parts kits hit the market in the early to mid-2000s and many of the companies that used to regularly supply virgin receivers stopped doing so when the kits dried up.
Here are the companies that I have found that will do an occasional run of VZ-58 Receivers. Should you find yourself in the same boat as I was.
Assault Weapons of Ohio – This is the company I purchased my receiver from.
CNC Warrior – They do occasional runs.
GunBroker – While Gunbroker doesn’t make receivers, they will show up on there from time to time, it is where I found Assault Weapons of Ohio.
Tortort Manufacturing – As of 9/27/2019 they do not carry any VZ-58 receivers though they have stated they intend to manufacture and offer them in the future.
For additional parts and supplies to round out the build check out this page.
There are various websites that discuss using the receiver stubs, and their kit, to construct your own receiver. I opted not to go this route due to the process involved, but it seems to work. An online search may yield this process, I was unable to locate the website that sold the kits. I thought it was Hellbox Armory but it seems they have redone their site since I last visited and the information is no longer there.
If none of these options are available there may be a few other options but they all take a machine shop and some knowledge. There are a few CAD Models available that are quite detailed and appear to be correct. Due to the current crackdown on 3D CAD models, these models are not as easy to find as they once were. Sites such as Defense Distributed and Codeisfreespeech once offered these free for download but no longer do due to the threat of legal action. If you are internet savvy, you can still find the models, at least I have been able to.
When I was considering building my own receiver I was able to get enough information to build my own CAD model and put together a print. I need to update a few things but the print will be available on the VZ-58 Projects page.
It took nearly 3 years to get a receiver, however, I received it and have done an initial inspection. Assault Weapons of Ohio definitely does some professional work, and it’s an impressive bit of machining. These receivers come “in the white” meaning no paint or blueing has been applied to the metal.
Here are the notes I have made so far:
- Minor burrs that require nothing more than a swipe of a file to knock off.
- A shown in the photo below, the cross pin hole has not been drilled, so that will be something I’ll need to do.
- There is a difference in the length of the “well” that holds the forearm shroud in place. This is obvious in the photo below, but it unclear if it’s going to affect anything.
The costs so far:
- $250 for the parts kit
- $450 for the receiver after shipping
- $65 dollars for the Go/NoGo gages I’ll need for assembly
The Total is $765 and we haven’t really gotten into it yet. So the $650 dollar complete rifle at the pawnshop was a good deal. The receiver will need to be finished, I am considering Cerakote, which will add a bit more to the cost. All in all, I am not expecting this build to be completed for under $900 dollars. I have seen new VZ-58 rifles go for $1180 online. So my original intent of these being a cheap beater truck gun has more or less died. At least the “cheap” notion has.
Here are the steps that remain to complete the build (assuming all goes well and I don’t mess it up or I’m not missing pieces)
- Disassemble the “stub” removing the sight and barrel retaining pin.
- Press out barrel from stub.
- Make or purchase a barrel extension to meet the ATF minimum length of 16in.
- Silver Solder on the Barrel Extension
- Press in barrel to new receiver using the Go gage to ensure headspace is set correctly
- Drill the retaining pin hole
- Insert retaining pin
- Decide if we will rivet or “bolt” the riveted parts in place.
- Complete the assembly of the receiver
- Test fire
- Disassemble
- Send out barrel receiver to get finished coated.
Odds are this will take a bit to complete this build. I’ll detail my successes and failures. Hopefully, this will be of benefit to the people who want to do something similar.